Miscommunication

I have discovered the need, yet again, to be extremely careful with my words in emails. Words on a screen give no indication of the emotions/inflection/thoughts/etc of the speaker. The recipient of the email is forced to read and decipher for themself what the speaker means. Assumptions are made, sometimes right, sometimes wrong and much confusion or even hurt can result.

Email is a wonderful tool of communication that allows me to keep in touch with friends all around the world more often than if I had to rely solely on phone calls and paper letters. But I must choose my words with care and use clear explanations so as to avoid the confusion that I’ve caused once again this week. I said something in an email and a meaning I never intended was applied to those words. I should have been more clear in explaining myself. Instead there is now a rift in a relationship that may take much time to heal.